she decided to assume the role of GURU and teach
others how to experience this divine energy.
She is believed to be a direct channel for divine
power and energy, which flow directly through
her. In her teaching she offers self-realization as a
beginning process of spiritual or yogic practices.
She is said to cause the rising of kundalini in her
students when they are in her presence, triggering
the awakening of the kundalini spiritual power
in masses of individuals simultaneously. The goal
of her personal appearances is to guide the indi-
vidual practitioner to immediate and spontaneous
enlightenment.
Since 1970, Nirmala has traveled the world to
teach the techniques of Sahaja Yoga meditation.
She does not charge fees for her lectures or for the
experiences that students have in her presence.
The Sahaja Yoga Center has locations in the
United States, Canada, India, and England and
issues a periodical, Nirmala Yoga. Nirmala has cre-
ated a number of nongovernmental organizations,
including an international hospital in Bombay
(Mumbai), an international cancer research center
there, an international music school in Nagpur,
and a charity house for the poor in Delhi.
Further reading: Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Meta Mod-
ern Era (Delhi: Nirmala Yoga, 1992); ———, Sahaja
Yoga (Delhi: Nirmala Yoga, 1992); “The Russians’ Love
for Yoga: Nirmala Devi Shares Her Adventure,” Hindu-
ism Today 12, no. 10 (October 1990): 1, 7.
sahasrara chakra
The sahasrara (sahasra, thousand; ara, petaled)
CHAKRA is not, properly speaking, a chakra (energy
center along the spine). This “eighth chakra” in
the KUNDALINI YOGA system represents the highest
transcendent state that a practitioner can reach. It
is depicted as a lotus with many petals floating 12
fingers above the head.
Sahasrara chakra is the meeting place of the
divine feminine in the form of the kundalini with
paramashiva, or highest SHIVA. Here the full inte-
gration of the transcendent and the earthly takes
place, and the yogi can experience all of reality as
divinity. The deity of this chakra is paramashiva.
The SHAKTI is mahashakti, or the highest form of
the GODDESS. The 1,000 petals are said to be of
every color.Further reading: Harish Johari, Chakras: Energy Centers
of Transformation (Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books, 2000);
John G. Woodroffe, The Serpent Power, 7th ed. (Madras:
Ganesh, 1964).Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1856–1918) revered
ascetic
Sai Baba was a highly charismatic ascetic and
teacher of the early 20th century, whose influence
carries to the present.
The early life of this Indian holy man is
almost completely unknown. It is believed that
he was born to a BRAHMIN family in a village in
Hyderabad state, India, but the particulars of his
family and lineage have not been discovered. He
left home when he was eight to follow a Muslim
teacher. When this teacher died, he associated
with a Hindu guru named Venkusa. At age 16
he appeared in Shirdi, a village in Maharashtra
state, where he kept to himself, remained silent
except in response to questions, and begged for
food.
After he had for some years appeared in
public in Shirdi, people reported miracles and
spontaneous ecstasy in his presence. He report-
edly visited people in their dreams and healed
the sick. In 1908 he began to be worshipped as
a god.
Sai Baba’s teaching emphasized devotion to
a guru. He advocated VEGETARIANISM, taken from
Hinduism, but also used Muslim MANTRAS and
prayers. He advised all to remain in the faith in
which they were born but to attend the festivals
of other religions.
Sai Baba’s grave in Shirdi is a shrine and place
of pilgrimage. He is considered one of India’sK 374 sahasrara chakra